Australian wildlife

Throughout the bush fires we have heard very little about the wildlife

Cute koalas have become 'urban refugees'

Jimmy, an orphan whose mother was rundown by a car, is the star of the documentary Koala Hospital. Image courtesy of Susan Kelly.

MongaBay,

26 January, 2013

According to Susan Kelly, koalas have become "urban refugees," under siege by expanding cities that bring with them deforestation, dogs, traffic, and other ills for native wildlife. Director of Global Briefing, and writer, producer and director of the new documentary Koala Hospital, Kelly has spent 3 years working to understand the rising threats to one of the world's most beloved marsupials.

While Koala Hospital highlights the many perils facing koalas, including climate change due to record fires across Australia, it also looks at the efforts of individuals who work to save koalas one—by—one at Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, taking in patients who have been orphaned, hit by cars, scarred in fires, or attacked by dogs.

Koala Hospital is making its New York City premiere Saturday, February 2 at the 3rd Annual New York Wildlife Conservation Film Festival. Ahead of its premiere, Kelly answered some questions from Mongabay.com about the film and her career. The film has already made waves in Australia where the government recently listed koalas as Vulnerable to extinction.

For interview GO HERE